Johan Manzambi showed once again why he is one of the hottest prospects in European football after inspiring Switzerland to a convincing 2-0 win over Algeria in their World Cup round of 16 tie.
Manzambi was fully active during the 70 minutes he was on the pitch at BC Place in Vancouver and added another assist to his list of 2026 highlights when he showed blistering pace and excellent footwork to set up Brill Embolo for the opening goal.
It was Manzambi’s fifth goal of the tournament so far, scored in just four games. He is the youngest player to score five goals in a single World Cup since records began in 1966. This means he improved the performance – at least statistically – of Kylian Mbappe at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he scored four goals but made no assists.
Manzambi, 20, is in high demand after those performances, as well as his previous season at Freiburg, which helped the German club reach the Europa League final.
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Newcastle United are reported to be favorites to land his signature, with reports citing a fee of £50 million.
Premier League champions Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with the Freiburg striker, while German legend Thomas Muller has tasked Bayern Munich with a raid on their Munzambi rivals.
By the time he left the field midway through the second half against Algeria, the result was more or less assured, with Switzerland going two goals up early in the second half after Dan Ndoye took advantage of a couple of weak clearances from the Algeria defense to slot his shot into the bottom corner.
The result was Switzerland’s first World Cup playoff victory since 1938.
Algeria, meanwhile, will head home in what is likely to be veteran striker Riyad Mahrez’s last dance on the game’s biggest stage. He would not have been delighted with his team’s performance, which was completely outclassed by Switzerland, who will face the winner of Saturday’s (AEST) match between Colombia and Ghana.
“There may be a lot of angry fans on the terraces,” former Nigeria striker Efan Ekoku said in a BBC report. “Algeria could barely touch the Swiss defense tonight.”
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